Grandparents' anguish at losing gay couple adoption children

Grandparents of two children adopted by a homosexual couple have said it was the worst day of their lives when they were removed by social workers.

By Chris Irvine

7:00AM GMT 02 Feb 2009

The five-year-old boy and his sister, four, had been cared for by their grandparents while their mother battled a heroin addiction.

The grandfather, 59, and his wife, 46, were told they were too old and unfit to care for the children however.

He said: "It was the worst day of my life when they came to take them away."

Speaking to The People, he said although his granddaughter did not fully understand what was happening, his grandson was "howling".

"I was doing my best to reassure him that it was only for a while, and the social workers tried to get him into the car.

"He was hanging on to the sides for dear life and wouldn't get in. Eventually, I had to do it as they couldn't manage.

"When I shut the door, his wee hands came up to the window, pressing against it, pleading with me."

The couple claim social workers told them their access to the children would be restricted if they opposed the gay adoption.

Speaking at their farmhouse cottage on the outskirts of Edinburgh, the grandmother, herself a mother of seven, said of her grandson: "He's got that twinkle in his eye, full of mischief, but full of warmth and love. I remember going outside one day and seeing my husband's legs sticking out from under the car as he was trying to fix something underneath it. A few minutes later, I looked out again and saw two pairs of legs sticking out. Josh had hauled a blanket outside and got under the car beside his grandad to help."

The couple thought the fostering was temporary but the local council went to court four times to have the children permanently removed and adopted.

Each time the court ruled in favour of the grandparents but when the council threatened to hire lawyers the couple reluctantly agreed to let them go.

Their grandmother said: "If we had known how it would turn out, that social workers would choose a home without a mother for them and we'd have to like it or not see them again, we'd never have given up the fight.

"The thing is they were so happy here. They knew they were loved and they were safe."